A group of passengers travelling in Delhi were surprised when a cab ride that had a base fare of Rs 1,285 ended with a bill of Rs 5,662. They had booked the car for six hours and expected to cover around 60 km during the trip.
The passengers had used Ola to travel from a hotel in Mahipalpur to Yashobhoomi for an exhibition. After spending several hours there, they headed straight to Indira Gandhi International Airport to catch their flight, but the final fare left them confused.
The Cab Bill Showed 240.5 Extra Kilometres
The passenger who shared the incident said the cab was booked at 10 am for six hours and 60 km. “We booked a cab for 6 hours (60 kms) from Ola Cabs at 10 AM and got picked up from our hotel in Mahipalpur and were dropped off at Yashobhoomi,”
the passenger said.
The group stayed at the exhibition until 3:45 pm before leaving for the airport. They said they were shocked when the driver asked them to pay the final amount. “At 3:45 PM we left directly for airport to catch our flight. We were extremely shocked and disappointed at the total payment the driver asked from us,” they said.
According to the passenger, the fare shown while booking was Rs 1,285. However, the final amount was more than four times higher. “At the time of booking the cab, the base fare that was displayed was Rs 1,285 so we were under the impression that we would be charged around that or maybe more, but the total payment in the Ola app quadrupled to Rs 5662 and we were charged for 250 km extra. Still don’t know how.”
The bill reportedly showed charges for 240.5 kilometres, along with tolls and other fees. The passengers said they could not understand how the additional distance was recorded when they had spent several hours at the exhibition.
Passengers Said Ola Support Did Not Help
The group said they tried contacting Ola through its help section but could not reach a person who could resolve the issue. “Tried contacting Ola help but due to it being a weekend, we couldn’t get in touch with anyone from the team. Any suggestions would be appreciated.”
The passengers then sought advice online about how to challenge the fare and recover the extra amount.
Users Suggested Checking The Cab’s Route
Several people who responded suggested collecting proof of where the passengers had actually travelled and contacting Ola with the details. “Well, it seems like the driver didn’t remain parked there and drove when you were away,” one user said.
Another shared a similar experience and advised the passengers to contact support and send all the details. “Similar scam happened with me in Ola from Delhi airport. Mail them all the details and try calling the support in a section like support and safety; they respond immediately.”
A person said they had faced a similar issue with Uber and received a refund after raising the matter online. “Happened to me with Uber. Went on Twitter and tagged them with the issue. The driver had taken an inefficient route. Got the money refunded in my Uber wallet.”
Another suggested using location history as evidence. “You can use your Google timeline as proof to point out that you did not travel with the cab and the driver took the cab for a “joy ride” without you.”
Disclaimer: This article is based on user-generated content. The claims made in the original post have not been independently verified by News18.
